2 0 0 6 a N N U a L R E P O

focus

2 0 0 6 A n n u a l R e p o r t Bangladesh Belgium where we worked in 2006 ››› Cambodia Central African Republic Chad Colombia Democratic Republic of the Congo Dominican Republic France Haiti India Ivory Coast Jordan Kenya Laos Lebanon Pakistan Senegal Sri Lanka contents Sudan Letter to our Supporters...... 1 Switzerland Mission...... 2 Successes...... 3 Syria Regions...... 4 Issues...... 10 Thailand Rapid Response...... 14 Education & Outreach...... 18 Uganda Financial Statements...... 22 Support...... 24 Donors...... Insert

Cover Photo: A girl in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of Refugees International’s five priority countries, witnesses thousands of refugees return home to her town. Photo by: John Baynard Dear Valued Friends, letter We ended 2006 by focusing attention on the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis—the exodus of Iraqis to neighboring countries. Although there were two million Iraqi refugees, they had received little attention until Refugees International went to Lebanon, Jordan and Syria to document their plight. Assistance from the international community had been totally inadequate, in part because they are urban refugees and, thus, far less visible than refugees living in camps.

The response to RI’s findings, which were reported inThe New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, the BBC and the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, was huge and swift. The UN Refugee Agency doubled its budget request for Iraqi refugees to $60 million, Senator Edward Kennedy (D–MA) and others in Congress started to take interest, and the State Department began to focus on the growing number of Iraqi refugees. Still, like many displacement crises, there is no easy or quick way to solve the problem. RI will remain on top of this issue in 2007, pressing the U.S., host countries and the UN to do more.

Our advocacy also continued to make a difference in four other regions and on five key issues where we focused our efforts. We generated funding for refugees returning home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and for peacekeepers in Sudan. We successfully urged the UN to respond to the crises in Burma and northern Uganda and for the U.S. State Department to tackle the problem of statelessness.

Yet, we still remained flexible enough to respond to emerging crises. When conflict erupted between Hezbollah and Israel in July, RI immediately sent a team as part of its Rapid Response Initiative to assess the response, identify particularly vulnerable people and ensure that international agencies provided assistance to them.

All of our achievements reflect work by a talented team. You are an impor- tant part of that team, and we thank you for your support.

Farooq Kathwari Kenneth H. Bacon Chair President

mission

Refugees International generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world, and works to end the conditions that create displacement.

Thirty-three million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and oppression. Based on information gathered in the field, Refugees International successfully provides governments, international agencies and non- governmental organizations with effective solutions that improve conditions for displaced people. Because of our efforts, those who were abandoned in camps have returned home, refugees without food have been fed and families in danger have been moved to safer locations.

Senior Advocate Andrea Lari and Advocate Rick Neal talk with internally displaced people in the center of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Refugees International is urging the international community to help these people rebuild their homes and villages now that years of war and crisis have come to an end.

Senior Advocate Michelle Brown joins Congressman Chris Smith (R–NJ) at a press conference on Capitol Hill to urge greater action to end the 20-year conflict in northern Uganda. Later that day, Michelle testified to the Africa subcommittee of the House International Rela- tions Committee on ways the U.S. can end the crisis.

successes

> IRAQ and the MIDDLE EAST: Refugees International’s groundbreaking work on the plight of two million Iraqi refugees significantly increased the media spotlight on the crisis. Because of this attention, the UN Refugee Agency more than doubled its budget for the region to $60 million.

> DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC of the CONGO: The U.S. provided millions of dollars for return and reintegration programs in the Congo after RI revealed the needs of Congolese refugees who were returning home and rebuilding their lives. RI also succeeded in getting the World Food Program to increase food deliveries, the UN to deploy additional peacekeepers to an isolated region in the eastern Congo, and the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that provides more assistance to Congolese refugees.

> DARFUR, SUDAN: When RI highlighted gaps in assistance to Darfur refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF improved their water and sanitation programs in Chad. RI also worked with members of Congress to generate $173 million for peacekeepers in Darfur and other parts of the world.

> NORTHERN UGANDA: After RI spent years calling on the UN to address the 20-year-old conflict in northern Uganda, the Security Council appointed a special envoy who succeeded in getting warring parties to begin peace negotiations.

> BURMA: After RI released a landmark report calling for more humanitarian aid inside Burma, the U.S. State Department’s refugee bureau funded projects inside Burma for the first time. RI also urged the UN Security Council to address this crisis, and in an unparalleled action, the UN Security Council voted Burma onto its formal agenda with refugees being cited as a principal factor in the decision.

> SOUTH SUDAN: The UN Refugee Agency overhauled the management of its programs in South Sudan after RI called attention to the agency’s lack of leadership in helping millions of people return home.

> STATELESSNESS: RI field missions, reports and unceasing advocacy led to an increase in UNHCR staff dedicated to statelessness worldwide; establish- ment of an intra-agency team at U.S. State Department’s refugee bureau; and the first Congressional staff delegation and Congressional Children’s Caucus staff briefings focused on statelessness.

> LEBANON: During the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, RI identified particularly vulnerable people, including Lebanese Christians who had been displaced from their homes in the south, and ensured that international agencies provided assistance to them.

iraqi refugees

Refugees international’s ability to promote effective action to the world’s refugee crises is best illustrated by our advocacy for Iraqi refugees in the Middle East. On our mission to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, we discovered that the exodus of Iraqis to neighboring countries is now the fastest-growing regions refugee crisis in the world. RI promptly exposed the world to this crisis, which had largely been ignored before we released our findings.

An op-ed in The Washington Post combined with an appearance on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and coverage by the BBC, The New York Times, Financial Times and other outlets around the world led the UN, the U.S. and other governments to respond to this crisis. The extensive media coverage alerted policy makers that two million Iraqis had fled into neighboring countries to escape the violence gripping their country and were in desperate need of assistance for housing, health care and education. Syria and Jordan were being overwhelmed by the massive influx and needed support from the international community to address the problem.

RI called for more funding to the region and for the U.S. and other western countries to resettle particularly vulnerable Iraqis. Shortly after our first reports in December 2006, the UN Refugee Agency doubled its budget for Iraqi refugees to $60 million and the Senate Judiciary Committee asked us to testify on the needs of Iraqi refugees. This has laid the foundation for an even greater response to the problem in 2007.

António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, wrote to us saying, “As always I am extremely grateful for the efforts of Refugees International in raising awareness—including our own—of refugee needs. Your concerns and critical views have been very useful as we reshape our strategy…”

This Palestinian family fled Baghdad after a bomb went off in their living room. Because they weren’t allowed to enter Syria, they now live with hundreds of other Palestinians along the No Man’s Land between the two countries. Refugees International is urging greater assistance to Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq.

This Iraqi family fled to Amman, Jordan without any possessions after the father narrowly escaped two direct attempts on his life. Refugees International successfully urged the UN Refugee Agency to double its budget to provide greater assistance to two million Iraqi refugees who, like this family, have been uprooted from their homes.

5 democratic republic of the congo

As the democratic republic of the congo emerged from decades of war, Refugees International succeeded in securing increased food deliveries, financial assistance and other resources to vulnerable people throughout the country. regions Four million people have died in the Congo since 1998 from war-related causes and another 1.5 million people remain displaced. During RI’s three missions, our teams assessed the levels of need among various groups of people, including child soldiers, dependents of combatants and refugees returning home. We analyzed the effects of the 2006 elections on the lives of the displaced and released a comprehensive report, Seizing This Moment of Hope: Towards a Secure Future in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which called for specific actions to increase security for civilians.

Throughout 2006, RI achieved numerous successes. We convinced the World Food Program to airlift food and the UN to deploy peacekeepers to assist thousands of displaced people caught in the crossfire of government forces and militias in Katanga province. The U.S. provided millions of dollars to help refugees return home to South Kivu after RI publicly noted that returnees were receiving minimal assistance to help them restart their lives and become self-sufficient. We also successfully urged the UN to better address the needs of women and children dependents of Rwandan fighters who were returning home.

In addition, RI worked closely with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and other members of Congress to enact legislation that allocates $52 million for humanitarian assistance in the Congo and lays out 14 policy points including the appointment of a special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa. President Bush signed the bill in December.

In South Kivu, an area in eastern Congo that is recovering from years of war, this Congolese woman helps to rebuild a school. Refugees International successfully urged the U.S. to provide more funding to help Congolese refugees return home and rebuild their lives. Photo by: John Baynard

sudan regions Refugees international continued to push the u.s. to end the conflict in Darfur that has killed4 00,000 people and forced two million people from their homes. We conducted missions to Darfur and Chad, worked with Congress to increase funding for peacekeeping, engaged key journalists on the issue and released On Our Watch: A documentary on genocide in Darfur.

On RI’s mission to Chad—which currently hosts more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur—we identified gaps in humanitarian assistance for Darfur refugees and internally displaced Chadians. As a result, the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF increased the supply of water to camps and local communities and improved their sanitation programs in Chad. Our team also shared information with human rights organizations on attacks committed by Chadian rebel groups and government forces.

In July, we monitored the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement and found that the fighting had intensified. After RI sent a letter to White House advisors, President Bush personally told Minni Minawi—the only one of three rebel leaders who had signed the Darfur Peace Agreement—to stop fighting and honor the terms of the agreement.

RI also traveled to south Sudan to assess the programs that are helping millions of people return home after the 21-year civil war between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and government forces. We found that institutional weaknesses among UN agencies were hindering efforts to assist and protect civilians and successfully urged the UN Refugee Agency to overhaul its management in the region. We also found some evidence that people were being displaced by oil exploration in south Sudan and urged the U.S. and other governments to support south Sudan’s monitoring of oil activity.

These women fled the violence in Darfur and are now some of the 200,000 Darfurian refugees who live in Chad. Refugees Interna- tional successfully urged the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF to increase the supply of water to camps and local communities and improve their sanitation programs in Chad.

burma

Refugees international continued its efforts to reduce the number of Burmese people forced from their homes by the brutal policies of the military regime and to improve conditions for those who have been displaced. At least half a million people are displaced inside eastern Burma and another regions million live as refugees in neighboring countries. Burma has the largest refugee crisis in southeast Asia and the worst internal displacement crisis in all of Asia.

RI met with members of the UN Security Council and Department of Political Affairs to brief them on the crisis in Burma. For the first time, the Security Council put Burma on its formal agenda and the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs traveled to Burma twice where he called on the military to stop attacking and relocating ethnic minorities.

In May, RI published Ending the Waiting Game: Strategies for Responding to Inter- nally Displaced People in Burma—a groundbreaking report calling for more aid inside the country. Soon after, the U.S. State Department’s refugee bureau traveled to Burma and decided to allocate $1.6 million for assistance to the Burmese Rohingya ethnic minority—the first time the bureau had provided funding for projects inside Burma.

uganda

Because of refugees international’s ongoing advocacy, the un Security Council and U.S. Congress are now addressing the 20-year conflict in northern Uganda that has displaced 1.7 million people. In 2006, the Security Council issued a presidential statement that urged “further efforts to improve humanitarian development support” and appointed a special envoy who brought warring parties together to negotiate peace.

RI also helped sponsor and organize Congressional Lobby Days for Uganda, in which more than 700 people urged Congress to support the peace process. We held 16 briefings with House and Senate offices, helped draft Senate Resolution 573, which affirmed U.S. support of the peace process, and testified at a House International Relations Committee hearing on “The Endangered Children of Northern Uganda.”

In addition, RI single-handedly attained 14 Senators’ signatures for a letter urging that Uganda be added to the agenda of the African Union Peace and Security Council. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) agreed to hand-deliver the letter to the African Union Chair and to raise concerns about humanitarian conditions directly with Ugandan President Museveni.

This father and son live in a camp for displaced people in northern Uganda. The man’s two other sons were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army and only one has been released. Refugees International has successfully urged the UN Security Council and U.S. Congress to take steps to end this 20-year war that has displaced 1.7 million people.

9 women

The majority of the world’s 33 million refugees and displaced people are women. Refugees International continues to call on policy makers to include women in peace negotiations, protect them from violence and ensure that issues assistance programs meet their unique needs.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), RI assessed programs for former women soldiers and their children. We called for the international community to increase support to help them reintegrate into their communities and for the Congolese government to provide girls more protection from forceful abduction. In response, the head of the UN’s operations in the DRC raised the issue at a high-level meeting on security sector reform and discussed the need to support female soldiers with the Congolese vice president responsible for defense and security.

In Darfur, RI partnered with the Initiative for Inclusive Security to push for the inclusion of women in the Darfur Peace Agreement. Together, we noted that women have borne the brunt of the violence and should be given opportunities for meaningful participation in the broad political dialogue called for in the Agree- ment. RI also worked with the Genocide Intervention Network to find innovative ways for African Union peacekeepers to increase their patrols to protect women who are attacked when they leave the camps to collect firewood.

RI continued to fight sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers. In December, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations released a “Statement of Commitment on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and non-UN Personnel,” which incorporated many of the recommendations RI had made in our landmark 2005 report. RI was instrumental in increasing the number of American non-governmental organizations willing to endorse the statement.

These women were attacked inside their homes in April 2006 and forced to flee to a camp near the town of Tawilla in North Darfur. Because women bear the brunt of the conflict, Refugees International has partnered with the Initiative for Inclu- sive Security in calling for the inclusion of women in the peace process in Darfur.

10 peacekeeping issues Peacekeeping forces bring about a stable peace so that displaced people can return home. Refugees International advocated for strong peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur, and U.S. policies that support greater peacebuilding capacity by the United Nations.

Although the Government of Sudan continued to block the UN from deploying a peacekeeping force in Darfur, RI convinced Congress to commit $173 million for Darfur and UN peacekeeping—$50 million above President Bush’s request. In addition, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) thanked us for our successful advocacy on additional legislation that provided $20 million for African Union peacekeepers who are trying to protect civilians until the UN is deployed.

In the wake of successful elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, RI called for more troops and resources for the UN peacekeeping operation there. Noting that the force had already increased peace and stability in the country, we urged the UN to solidify these gains.

RI also continues to co-lead the Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP)—a non-partisan working group that promotes public policy solutions to improve peacebuilding infrastructure, and creates the political will to support such policies. Through this group, RI provided an open forum for the discussion of peace operations issues, served as an information resource for media and policymakers and facilitated greater understanding of peace operations. In particular, the PEP conducted a comprehensive analysis of the discrepancy between U.S. funding and actual UN peacekeeping needs, called for the development of U.S. civilian stabilization and reconstruction capacity and promoted a positive UN reform agenda on Capitol Hill.

African Union peacekeepers begin a daily patrol to protect civilians from attack in South Darfur. Refugees International successfully urged the U.S. Congress to continue funding the African Union forces until UN peacekeepers are deployed and the two forces can establish a hybrid peacekeeping force in the region.

11 statelessness

Since 2004, refugees international has brought attention to the more than 11 million stateless people around the world who lack a nationality and cannot legally access education, health care, employment, travel and even mar- issues riage. This year, RI highlighted statelessness in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East. In the U.S., RI pressed for and organized the first Congressional staff delegation mission on statelessness and the first Congressional Children’s Caucus staff briefing where we urged U.S. action on our findings.

In Côte d’Ivoire, where 25 to 30 percent of the population lacks citizenship, RI urged UNICEF to improve birth registration and asked the Prime Minister to issue birth certificates so stateless children could attend school. Closer to home, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service joined us on a mission to interview Haitian migrants and their stateless children in the Dominican Republic.

RI urged officials in Mauritania, Senegal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Syria to grant or restore citizenship to stateless people. In Bangladesh, following our report, Citizens of Nowhere, we investigated the government’s progress in providing citizenship to more than 250,000 stateless Biharis. For Syria, we reported in Buried Alive on the 300,000 denationalized Kurds and urged the government to fulfill its promises, repeated to RI, to grant citizenship to them.

By investigating stateless people, publishing reports on their plight, participating in international conferences and meeting with key policy makers, RI has placed statelessness on the agendas of the UN, the U.S. and other governments. We helped draft a 2006 UNHCR Executive Committee Conclusion related to statelessness. Encouraged by RI, the U.S. State Department’s refugee bureau established an intra- agency team and the U.S. increased its coverage of stateless groups in its 2006 State Department Human Rights Report.

This Bihari woman lives in Rasulpur camp in Bangladesh where conditions are harsh and extremely congested. Families live in one-room shacks, there are only three latrines for 50 families, and they must share washing areas like this one. Refugees International is calling on the governments of Bangla- desh and Pakistan to restore citizenship to the Bihari.

12 Haitian children in the Dominican Republic, such as this young boy, frequently are born without birth certificates and must go through life undocumented. They cannot go to school beyond the fourth grade, have a bank account or get a good job. RI is calling on the Dominican Republic to follow a recent international court ruling that upholds nationality rights of Haitian children.

13 internal displacement

Refugees international continued to call on the international community to effectively protect and assist internally displaced people (IDPs) —

issues people uprooted by conflict who cannot cross an international border and become refugees. In addition to focusing on the needs of IDPs in our five priority regions, we successfully urged the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to increase efforts on behalf of internally displaced people worldwide. We also recommended increased funding, resources and protection for IDPs in Sri Lanka, Colombia and the Central African Republic.

When RI traveled to Sri Lanka, where 200,000 people had been displaced since April, we found that agencies were restricted from accessing IDPs in many areas. Based on our recommendation, the U.S., Britain and other governments that provide humanitarian funding for Sri Lanka sent delegations to examine conflict zones and urge warring parties to halt attacks against civilians.

In Colombia, our recommendations led the U.S. Agency for International Devel- opment to maintain funding levels for projects that increase economic opportunities for displaced and vulnerable Colombians in urban areas. We successfully recommended that UNHCR expand its field operations to better protect displaced people and that the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration increase funding for this expansion.

RI was the first American organization to assess and advocate for the humanitarian needs of 200,000 internally displaced people in the Central African Republic who had been forced to live in extremely primitive conditions with virtually no assistance. Soon after we released our findings detailing the complete neglect of these people, U.S. aid agencies began to assess and prepare for operations to provide assistance in the country.

This Colombian girl and her family fled fighting in their village in 2002. Her family cannot afford to send her to school and health care is limited. They want to go home and farm the land they still own, but it isn’t safe yet. RI successfully urged the U.S. to maintain funding for programs that increase job opportunities for displaced people in Colombia.

14 protection issues In each of our priority countries, refugees international focuses on protecting civilians’ rights. A hallmark of RI’s work over the past 28 years is to identify small, minority groups of vulnerable refugees and displaced people and monitor programs that protect their human rights.

For the Bunong of Cambodia, RI advocated for increased access to education, the defense of Bunong lands that have been expropriated for mining, reduced intimidation by the government and other entities and programs that ensure economic survival. We called attention to Vietnamese Montagnards who are subject to harassment, land confiscation and other forms of discrimination because they assisted the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Because of our advocacy, additional Montagnards have been allowed to resettle in the U.S.

RI has also focused on Burmese Rohingya refugees—the most persecuted minority in Burma—many of whom have fled to Bangladesh. RI played a critical role in providing information to the UN Refugee Agency on the conditions for the Rohingya inside Burma and pointed out that they repeatedly suffer serious abuse and intimidation at the hands of the Bangladeshi local authorities. Thanks to pressure by RI, the UN Refugee Agency has stopped talking about withdrawing from camps in Bangladesh and no longer considers the group a low-priority “residual caseload.” Instead, they have named the Rohingya a top priority.

RI has highlighted groups of Burmese refugees who would best be protected through resettlement to the U.S., but who have been denied entry due to restrictive anti-terrorism legislation. Following advocacy by groups such as RI, the State Department issued waivers to Burmese refugees in Thailand, Malaysia and India and their resettlement has resumed.

This girl is a member of the Bunong—an indigenous community in eastern Cambodia—and part of a weaving cooperative supported by Refugees International that makes traditional Bunong scarves and bags. Since 1999, RI has worked to protect the Bunong’s cultural and economic survival.

15 lebanon

When conflict erupted between israel and hezbollah in july, Refugees International immediately sent a team to evaluate the humanitarian response to the 900,000 people who had been displaced by the violence.

RI was particularly concerned that the warring parties were violating international humanitarian law by keeping civilians from receiving assistance in the south of Lebanon. We identified especially vulnerable people, including Lebanese Chris- tians who had been displaced from their homes in the south, and ensured that rapid response international agencies provided assistance to them. In addition, RI looked at efforts to protect civilians and presented a comprehensive assessment of the protection response to Jan Egeland, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

After the conflict ended, we successfully urged the UN, whose security protocols were unnecessarily restrictive, to investigate the shortcomings of its response. We also submitted testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urging greater assistance for reconstruction and encouraged the international community to coordinate closely with local institutions in relief and reconstruction efforts to identify and reach out to people most at risk.

pakistan

At the end of 2005, a massive earthquake in northern pakistan killed 75,000 people, destroyed 400,000 homes and left 3.3 million people displaced. Within weeks, Refugees International sent a team to assess relief efforts and we returned to the region multiple times throughout 2006.

During our missions, we found that government programs and agencies were poorly structured to effectively assist the displaced and that most reconstruction was funded outside of these programs. We also observed that the skills and experience of local non-governmental organizations were being severely underutilized. We urged the Government of Pakistan to increase resources for the reconstruction of urban areas, and to incorporate local institutions throughout the recovery process.

Through our associations with field organizations and private donors, RI facilitated $1.1 million in donations for specific urban recovery programs. We successfully connected private donors to several local groups that needed funding, including the Central Asia Institute, a locally run group that provides schools and education to village girls in the recovery area. We also improved coordination for food distribution in camps by connecting two UN agencies to a local partner.

16 A woman surveys damage to her home in a Beirut suburb after the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah destroyed more than 15,000 homes in Lebanon. Refugees International sent a team to Lebanon as part of its Rapid Response Initiative to evaluate the humanitarian response to the war and ensure that vulnerable civilians were receiving assistance.

17 communications & media

PUBLICATIONS—RI produced 60 bulletins, analysis papers and fact sheets to disseminate our recommendations on the problems we witnessed in our priority regions and on our five priority issues. We also published four full-length reports on the stateless Bihari in Bangladesh, denationalized Kurds in Syria, internally displaced people in Burma and the need to increase security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

MEDIA—The media regularly covered Refugees International’s assessments and recommendations throughout 2006, particularly on the conflict in Darfur and the situation of Iraqi refugees. We appeared on NBC, CNN, NPR, the BBC, the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, the Charlie Rose Show and the Diane Rehm Show

education & outreachand were quoted in hundreds of local, national, international print and online news outlets. We also published op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, The Baltimore Sun and the Orlando Sentinel.

In addition, staff member Sarah Martin was highlighted as Glamour magazine’s Hero of the Month in May for her work to end sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers. And Amy Dickinson highlighted Refugees International in her nationally syndicated column, “Ask Amy,” as one of six worthy charities to support over the holidays.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS—Numerous groups continue to ask RI to participate in briefings, lectures, roundtable discussions and other public education events around the world. We spoke at numerous congressional briefings and testified twice to the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations. Our staff spoke at the Brookings Institution, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Woodrow Wilson Center, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, the Canadian Council for Refu- gees and numerous other events hosted by universities, UN and U.S. government agencies, grantmakers and other institutions.

WEBSITE & EMAIL—RI continued to educate the public and influence top policy makers by using our website to highlight our publications, provide photos of refugee crises around the world and urge people to contact policy makers on our issues. We also launched a new blog called WorldBridge. 6.4 million pages were viewed on our website in 2006, more than double the number of pages viewed in 2005. Subscriptions to our monthly email newsletter also rose by 70 percent from 2,600 to 4,400.

18 education & outreach & education

Advocate Kristele Younes discusses the plight of Iraqi refugees with Ray Suarez on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer soon after returning from a mission to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

RI President Ken Bacon urges the U.S. to end the genocide in Darfur while appearing on the Charlie Rose Show with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), UN UnderSecretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland and The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

Advocate Sean Garcia describes the millions of refugees who have fled the conflict in Iraq and are seeking safety in Syria and Jordan in a live satellite interview on BBC World.

19 events

WASHINGTON & NEW YORK CIRCLES—Refugees International’s “Circles” —supporters dedicated to strengthening RI’s work and advancing humanitarian causes—continued to organize numerous outreach events throughout the year. In February, the New York Circle hosted the premiere of On Our Watch, Refugees International’s 10-minute film about the genocide in Darfur narrated by Sam Waterston. The evening featured a discussion with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Samantha Power.

Both RI’s New York and Washington Circles introduced people to the tragedy of child soldiers in armed conflicts by hosting events with Ishmael Beal, a former child solder from Sierra Leone and author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. These events also featured Armed and Innocent—a documentary education & outreach produced by RI Board member Roya Hakakian that details Beal’s and other child soldiers’ experiences. In addition, the Washington Circle hosted a discussion in the fall on Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur based on RI’s latest missions.

McCALL-PIERPAOLI HUMANITARIAN AWARD—With the theme “Advancing Humanitarian Ideals,” Refugees International organized an evening reception, hosted by RI’s chair emeritus James V. Kimsey, to honor Julia Taft with the 2006 McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. Julia, former Assistant Secretary of State for Refugees and former Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention & Recovery of the UN Development Program, received the award for her extraordinary service to refugees and displaced people. The award was instituted in memory of three people—David and Penny McCall and Yvette Pierpaoli who died during a Refugees International mission to Albania in 1999. Past recipients include Kofi and Nane Annan and Ambassador John Danforth.

COLLABORATION—In December, RI hosted our second annual Casino Night at the Asia Society in New York. George Soros, founder and chairman of the Open Society Institute and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke were our featured speakers and helped introduce us to a new group of young professionals. RI also joined the Save Darfur Coalition in April to rally against the genocide in Darfur. Our supporters joined the tens of thousands of human rights activists, movie stars, athletes and politicians who converged on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC to show the world that we will not stand idly by while genocide unfolds.

20 education & outreach & education

RI Board Chairman Farooq Kathwari gives Julia Taft, former Assistant Secretary of State for refugees, the McCall- Pierpaoli Award to honor her extraordinary service to refugees and displaced people.

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Ambassador Betty King and Eileen Shields-West —all members of RI’s Board of Directors—attend our second annual Casino Night at the Asia Society in New York.

Ishmael Beal, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone and author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, addresses RI’s Washington Circle to discuss the tragedy of children forced to fight in armed conflicts.

21 financial position as of december 31, 2006

Temporarily Permanently Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Total ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents 1,039,190 824,490 100,000 1,963,680 Grants receivable 597,500 597,500 Other receivable 1,500 1,500 Advances 5,130 5,130 Prepaid expenses 32,125 32,125 Total Current Assets 1,077,945 1,421,990 100,000 2,599,935 Property and Equipment Land and building 832,003 832,003 Furniture and equipment 84,534 84,534 Total 916,537 916,537 financial statements Less accumulated depreciation (255,705) (255,705) Property & Equipment, net 660,832 660,832 Other Assets Deposit 4,820 4,820 Total Assets 1,743,597 1,421,990 100,000 3,265,587

LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 80,344 80,344 Accrued payroll and payroll taxes 35,706 35,706 Current portion of mortgage payable 30,877 30,877 Total Current Liabilities 146,927 146,927 Long-Term Liabilities Mortgage payable, net of current portion 466,366 466,366 Total Liabilities 613,293 613,293 Net Assets Unrestricted 1,130,304 1,130,304 Temporarily restricted 1,421,990 1,421,990 Permanently restricted 100,000 100,000 Total Net Assets 1,130,304 1,421,990 100,000 2,652,294 Total Liabilities and Net Assets 1,743,597 1,421,990 100,000 3,265,587

Revenue by Source % of rev.

Foundations & Corporations 64.94

Individuals 28.13

Other 6.93

22 activities as of december 31, 2006 financial statements financial Temporarily Permanently Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Total REVENUE & OTHER SUPPORT Grants and contributions 1,918,779 1,221,059 3,139,838 Interest income 45,769 45,769 Other income 18,155 18,155 Net assets released from restriction Expiration of time restrictions 474,563 (474,563) Restrictions satisfied by payments 296,586 (296,586) TOTAL REVENUE & OTHER SUPPORT 2,753,852 449,910 3,203,762

Expenses Program Services Advocacy 2,022,053 2,022,053 Public education 393,553 393,553 Supporting Services General and administrative 136,288 136,288 Fundraising 196,899 196,899 Total expenses 2,748,793 2,748,793

Change in Net Assets 5,059 449,910 454,969 Net Assets at Beginning of Year 1,125,245 972,080 100,000 2,197,325 Net Assets at End of Year 1,130,304 1,421,990 100,000 2,652,294

expense by activity % of exp.

Advocacy 73.56

Public Education 14.32

Fundraising 7.16

General & Administrative 4.96

23 invest in refugees international…to make a difference

An investment in Refugees International can reap lifesaving benefits for thousands of the most vulnerable people: refugees, those who have been displaced within their home country, and those who have no home country—“the stateless.” support

How to Give You can donate in a variety of ways: n Give online by going to www.refugeesinternational.org/donate n Mail your check to RI’s office in Washington, DC n Stock transfer n Wire transfer through your bank n Donate through the Combined Federal Campaign (#1448) or other federated campaigns n Legacy gifts—leave a bequest to Refugees International in your will, after you have taken care of your family For more information: Contact Haida McGovern at 202-828-0110 ext. 202, or [email protected]. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Refugees International 1705 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202-828-0110 Phone 202-828-0819 Fax [email protected] www.refugeesinternational.org

24 the board of directors and emeritus directors of refugees international give generously both in time and financial support. We greatly appreciate all they 2006 Staff do to keep ri strong and growing. Kenneth H. Bacon, President and CEO Lionel Rosenblatt, President Emeritus Joel Charny, Vice President for Policy 2006 Board of Directors

Yemisrach Benalfew, McCall-Pierpaoli Fellow Farooq Kathwari, Chair Natasha Bragg, Development Assistant Eileen Shields-West, Vice Chair Michelle Brown, Senior Advocate and Michael Berkman, Treasurer United Nations Representative Jan Weil, Secretary Solomon David, Comptroller Elizabeth F. Bagley Megan Fowler, Communications Manager Jane Best Sara Fusco, Assistant Director of Development Frank Caufield Peter Gantz, Peacekeeping Advocate John C. Danforth Sean Garcia, Advocate Ralph P. Davidson Rosa Maria Guerrero, Office Manager Peter Edwards Andrea Lari, Senior Advocate Charlene Engelhard Maureen Lynch, Senior Advocate on Mary Ellen Glynn Stateless Initiatives Carol Ann Haake Sarah Martin, Senior Advocate Roya Hakakian Haida McGovern, Director of Development Michael W. Hawkins Michael McIntyre, Director of Operations Richard Holbrooke W. Braun Jones, Jr. Rick Neal, Advocate Betty King Sayre Nyce, Congressional Advocate and Capitol Hill Liaison Dale Mathias Constance J. Milstein Camilla Olson, Advocacy Associate Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan Kavita Shukla, Advocate Sally Paridis Teresa Weathington, Development Associate Peta Roubin Kristele Younes, Advocate Natacha Weiss

2006 Emeritus Directors

Bill Clarke, Chair Emeritus James V. Kimsey, Chair Emeritus Trish Malloch Brown, Vice Chair Emeritus James C. Cobey, M.D., Treasurer Emeritus Sue Morton, Founder Robert P. DeVecchi Mary Louise Fazzano Marta Gabre Tsadik Tom Getman Susan Goodwillie Stedman Alan G. Hassenfeld Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Shep Lowman Judy Mayotte Charles Monat Dith Pran Sandra Sennett Tully George Soros Sam Waterston Frank Wisner phone: [202] 828–0110 facsimile: [202] 828–0819 e-mail: [email protected] 1705 N Street NW Washington, DC 20036 www.refugeesinternational.org